


Partners

by circular_infinity



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Background Liz/Kyle, Canon Compliant, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, Gen, High School, Pining, brief mention of dissection of a lab animal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 02:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18651241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/circular_infinity/pseuds/circular_infinity
Summary: Glimpses of Max and Liz being lab partners in high school through the years.





	Partners

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from carebzz, "Max and Liz being lab partners in high school" via the Less Seen Roswell New Mexico Ficathon. Originally posted at https://starbright-star.livejournal.com/7892.html?thread=38612#t38612 on March 24, 2019.

**Freshmen Year**

\--- 

"Want to be partners?" 

Max head snaps up from where he's reading the lab instructions. Liz is standing by his desk, her notebook and textbook in her arms. 

"Yes," he says and he can hear how embarrassingly quickly he spoke. "Yeah. I mean, it's for the rest of the year. Are you sure you don't want to partner with one of your friends?" 

"We're friends," Liz says. "We've known each other forever. And it's completely mercenary on my part because I know you'll do your share of the work." 

She smiles at him and he can feel his heart skip in his chest as the lights flicker overhead. 

\--- 

Liz is hunched over the lab bench dissecting a dead frog and Max knows he should be helping, but he can only sit there staring. There's something itching at the back of his brain telling him he could fix it. He's uncomfortably reminded of that scene with the frogs from ET and it makes him feel terribly alien. 

"Do you want to take a turn?" Liz asks, looking up from the work and turning towards him. 

"I will if you want me to," he says hesitantly. 

His reluctance must show on his face because Liz studies him for a moment and then says, "I can finish up. I don't mind. Can you take notes?" 

"Yes," Max says, scrambling at his notebook because he should've been doing that already. 

Liz ducks back down over the frog after shooting him a brief and uncomfortable smile. 

_Great, now she thinks I'm a wuss_ , he thinks and tries to focus on the work. 

Afterward, once the frog is (thankfully) gone and they're cleaning up Liz asks, "Do you think it's weird how interesting I thought that was?" 

Max looks at her in surprise. 

"No," he says. "I'm sorry I was such a wuss about it." 

"You weren't," she says kindly. "You had, like, a normal human reaction to seeing a dead frog. I'm the one who went all 'mad scientist' on it." 

Human? Hardly. 

"I think it's cool that you like science this much," he says. 

She looks up at him almost shyly. 

"Really?" she asks. 

"Totally." 

His honesty is rewarded with a smile and it makes him feel like maybe he's okay after all.  


\--- 

**Sophomore Year**

\--- 

"I was thinking that, seeing we're the same class again, we should be lab partners again," Liz suggests. 

"I didn't drag you too far down last year?" Max asks. Schoolwork was always easy when he was younger, but the math and science is starting to get more complicated and confusing. 

"You didn't drag me down at all," she says. 

"Then I'll endeavor not to again this year." 

Endeavor? Who says 'endeavor' in real conversation? 

Liz laughs, but it's a kind laugh, like she thought that he was trying to be funny and had succeeded. 

\--- 

"I'm pretty sure when people 'truth is stranger than fiction' they meant chemistry," Max grumbles at his worksheet. Why couldn't he also be an alien genius like Michael? 

"Not so," Liz says. "Science has to make sense." 

"So do books." 

"Tell that to the guy who wrote _The Great Gatsby_ ," she says. 

"Fitzgerald?" 

"Yeah, him." 

"He died thinking the book was a failure so maybe that would just be salt on the wound?" 

"Maybe," Liz says and sighs. "Maybe I just like that in math and science there's always right answer and right way to find it." 

"You're a perfectionist?" Max fakes surprise. "I never knew." 

"Oh hush." Liz gives him a playful shove and he can see he's amused her. 

"Books make sense to me. They have beginnings and ending and have to have consistent themes and characters," Max says. "They fit together." 

"Chemistry's the same way," Liz says. 

"Not redox reactions." 

"That's because you have too many electrons." 

"Again? Where?"  


\--- 

**Junior Year**

\--- 

"Want to be partners again?" Liz asks. 

"You don't want to be partners with Kyle this year?" he asks. "Now that you guys are, you know, dating." 

"No," she says. "I'd like to be able to focus on the work without being distracted." 

Which means that it's not a problem when she's with him. Of course. He knows that. He's known that for years, so why does it always hurt to be reminded? 

"Then I'm yours," he says, too late realizing how that sounds. "Your partner." 

"Great," she says. "I'm trying to do more volunteer work this year, so do you think we could set aside at time to get together every week to write up the labs so we can make sure to get it done?" 

"Yeah," he says. "That sounds like a good idea. When were you thinking?" 

\--- 

Max looks at the egg that he and Liz are supposed to save from a fall out of the physics room window and can't help but think of the pods back in the mines. 

"We couldn't just put a hard shell around a person and expect them to survive a crash," he asks. "Right?" 

"Right," Liz says, pointing to the impulse equation. "That's why cars have airbags." 

Does that mean whatever's inside the pods protected them? They're still glowing after nine years. Can they be turned off? Should they turn them off? Max looks over at Michael who has a pensive expression on his face. Max'll ask him what he thinks after school. 

"Earth to Max," Liz says. "Want to help me build our egg safe box?" 

"What? Yes."  


\--- 

**Senior Year**

\--- 

"No trying to ditch me this year," Liz says. 

Max fake gasps. 

"I would never," he says. "Partners?" 

"Of course," she says. "We work great together." 

He can't help but smile. 

"We do," he agrees. 

\--- 

"I think you have hot sauce on your lip," Liz says quietly. 

"Seriously?" Max asks, horrified. Lunch was hours ago. 

He runs his knuckles over his mouth. 

"Did I get it?" he asks. 

"No, it's a little to left, other left, here," she says and reaches out and wipes it away. 

The second her thumb touches his lip it's like the world freezes and the universe narrows to the tiny connection between them. All he can feel is her skin pressed against his. Is he breathing? Has he ever breathed? 

All the lights in the room blink off. 

\--- 

People are grumbling about a lab project this close to the end of the year - Max mentally sets aside the time to drive out to the desert - when Liz stops him outside the classroom. 

"Max, hold up. Sign my yearbook?" she asks, holding it out. 

"Yeah. Sign mine?" 

"Of course." 

They exchange books. He finds an empty space on the back page of hers and writes, " _Liz, being your lab partner and friend has been the best part of high school. I know you'll be amazing in college too. Max_ ". He wants to write something more meaningful and poetic, but this probably isn't the place for it. 

Liz is already done writing when he finishes. 

"Thanks," he says. 

They trade books back again and as they do, Liz meets his gaze. The air between them feels charged and heavy, like breathing is suddenly more difficult. Surely it can't just be his imagination. 

"I'll see you later, Max," Liz says and turns to leave. As she does, she looks back and she smiles. 

Instead of going to his next class, Max pages through his yearbook until he finds her note. It's on the picture of them at lab and it reads, " _Max, it's only the beginning! Love, Liz_ " 

The light above him explodes, but he barely notices.


End file.
